


In Which Cupid Doesn't Suck that Much After All...

by notsowriterly



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: And Let's be Honest, And Nico would misunderstand everything, Because Nico is more Punk, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Nico - Freeform, Nico and Will would probably argue, Then end up passionately making out, Well - Freeform, because, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-24 04:16:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2567912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsowriterly/pseuds/notsowriterly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico figured that maybe, once he finally managed to admit his feelings to Percy, he might have been able to catch a break. But other than Percy giving him curious looks every now and then and vacilating between being overly supportive and overly distant, nothing really changed. Instead, the stupid, bone-headed son of Poseiden got switched to a stupid, bone-headed son of Apollo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Which Cupid Doesn't Suck that Much After All...

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do a Solangelo fic since after BoO, because well...SOLANGELO. AREN'T THEY JUST THE CUTEST???? I love antithesis couples, they're the best. I think it kind of shows in my obsession with Granjolras, but whatever. C'est la vie. Anyway, Enjoy!

Nico didn't do hearts and romance. As far as he knew, Aphrodite probably hated his guts, and Eros most definitely hated his guts, so as far as his love life went, he got to be pathetically in love with a bone headed son of Poseiden for _two fucking years_ while said son of Poseiden had a loving, Disney worthy relationship with a girl who could gut him with a spoon, and, if that wasn't enough, he also got to be stuck with a romance infested crew of Argo 2, who made it seem like the prophecy of the seven was the prophecy of matchmaking instead, seeing how fast everyone paired up. Well, except for Leo, though _that_ myth was a bust once Leo decided to come back the week after with a perfect, pretty little brunette to complete _his_ Disney romance.

Nico figured that maybe, once he finally managed to admit his feelings to Percy, he might have been able to catch a break. But other than Percy giving him curious looks every now and then and vacilating between being overly supportive and overly distant, nothing really changed. Instead, the stupid, bone-headed son of Poseiden got switched to a stupid, bone-headed son of Apollo.

Which didn't exactly make it much better. If Nico and Percy were pretty much opposites, Nico and Will? Out of the ballpark. As it was, Nico still couldn't really understand Will's apparent need to have Nico in bed, _constantly_. Nico figured that he could manage three days of resting, but what he didn't get was that for Will, resting meant back against bed 24/7. If Nico even made a move to get up, Rest Police Will would be on the case. Well, his case. Constantly. Otherwise, however, he didn't seem to be able to manage a two second conversation with Nico at all, leaving Nico time to figure out that he still didn't know whether Will was gay at all. Which would be just his luck, falling for another hopeless case. He wanted to march up to Olympus and kick Cupid in the shin. Him and his stupid mind games could go to Hades, as far as Nico cared. He wanted out.

So on the third day, he hopped out of bed, and when he saw Will hurry over as if on cue, he was ready with a retort. "It's been three days, Will, you don't have to worry, I'm out of your hair. Focus on the patients who actually need help." And with that, he stalked out.

\----

The next few days actually happened in relative peace. Leo came back, even gave a hug to Nico, which he didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed about, seeing as Leo's hugs involved him trying to squeeze Nico's lungs out through his throat. Will didn't come see him. Which was good. Which was fine. He wasn't expecting him to. Why would he? It's not like he _liked_ Nico or anything, other than the typical Apollo kid worry for his health.

Will Solace and his stupid blue eyes and sexy southern drawl could stay far away from him, as far as Nico was concerned.

\---

Percy comes to talk to him a month later. So far, Nico hadn’t heard a peep out of Annabeth and Percy since they both started senior year together, but he figures that’s due in part to college applications and the fact that he'd holed himself into the arena to hide from Will Solace--ahem, _practice sword fighting_ , not hide from Will Solace, of course not. He’s the Ghost King, the son of Hades, he didn't hide from stupid Apollo kids with perfect hair. If anything, they hid from him.

The thought isn't all that comforting.

He makes a face as he hacks away at the next dummy, and tries to clear his thoughts. Perhaps he succeeds a little too well, because he doesn't realize some one is in the arena until he whirls around and points his sword at their throat.

Percy takes a step back. "Whoa there."

Nico narrows his eyes, lowering his sword. "Percy. What are you doing here?" God, he's tired. He didn't really notice how tired he was while he was fighting, but now that he's stopped, damn his muscles are _sore_.

He heads over to his water bottle, taking a swing, right as Percy says, "What happened to you liking Will Solace?"

Nico chokes. _Nice timing, Percy_. He can only thank the gods that he managed to stop himself before doing an embarassing spit take in front of his former crush, but even still, there's not much else to thank them for. It takes a minute for him to get back control over his mouth, but when he does, he manages to choke out a " _What?_ "

Percy looks infuriatingly serene. "Annabeth told me you did, and Piper backed her up. And there is no way that they both can be wrong at the same time."

Nico glares at him, sheathing his sword and picking up his things. "Yeah, well, welcome to the impossible, because I have no idea what you're talking about."

He's pretty sure his jerky movements and _I-hope-you-rot-in-Tartarus_ glare is giving him away, which is why he isn't exactly surprised when Percy rolls his eyes and goes, "Okay, I know people call me Seaweed Brain, but I'm not that stupid-"

"You sure about that?" Nico grumbles, and Percy scowls.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Kelp Head, comes with the territory of me not liking you." He crosses his arms. "Now, other than my nonexistent crush on Will Solace, did you have anything else to talk to me about?"

"Yeah, the fact that you're pretending it's _nonexistent_ , for one-"

Nico snaps. "And how would you know it isn't? I liked you for two years, Percy, and you didn't notice once. And it sucked. How would you feel, if Annabeth was in love with another girl, Percy, and you had to watch them be happy together for two years and know that you didn't have the barest bit of a chance, no matter what you did? I mean, it's bad enough that I'm the son of Hades, a kid seventy years out of his time, and now I get to be gay?"

Percy looks midway through guilty and defensive. "There's nothing wrong with being-"

"I know there isn't, but it doesn't make things any easier, does it?"

Now he tips straight past defensive into angry, and Nico can't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction. Good. Let him be angry. At least then he'd know how Nico felt. "Look, I don't know if you noticed, Nico, but we're demigods-"

Nico gives a bitter laugh, scoffing. "Oh, I didn't notice when all those monsters tried to kill me, _definitely_ -"

Percy cuts him off. "And that means things are never easy. I've been through two wars, lost friends, got seperated from my girlfriend for months then fell down with her to Tartarus, and twice had to make the decision that would save the world. And after wards, I moved on, because that's what we do. We make the best of what we got, we be brave, and we face our fears before our fears destroy us. You're one of the bravest demigods I've met, Nico, but you sure can be a coward sometimes."

Nico flinches, but Percy doesn't look at him anymore, just turns around and walks away, like he's finally done with Nico, after all this time. Nico's heart sinks. Percy's right. He's spent too much time running. Hades kids are good at that, it seems. He takes a deep breath, and steels himself, just as Percy reaches the edge of the arena.

"Hey, Percy!" he calls out. Percy turns around, an eyebrow raised, still looking weary. "Could you find me an Aphrodite kid? It seems like I have an apology to make."

A smile blooms on Percy’s face, and Nico is reminded exactly why he fell in love with him once. "You know, I think Mitchell's free, actually."

\----

Mitchell squeals when Nico tells him. "I knew it!" His grin could split his face. It's kind of terrifying. "I mean, I've caught you staring at him enough times-"

Nico goes beet red. "I was not _staring_ -"

Mitchell waves him off. "Yes, you were. I think it was the muscles. Will has really nice muscles from all the basketball he does-"

"Hey." Nico protests mildly, and Mitchell rolls his eyes.

"I'm just saying. Objectively, Will has really nice muscles."

"He has really nice eyes too." Nico says reluctantly, and maybe he shouldn't have, because Mitchell's wearing his maniac grin again.

"That's so adorable!"

" _Mitchell_."

"Oh, right, Ghost King, Son of Hades and all. Not going for the warm and fuzzies, got it. Now, what do you want me to help with?"

Nico squirms. Here comes the hard part. "I don't...I mean, I've never..."

"Admitted you were gay?" Mitchell says gently, and Nico shakes his head vehemently.

"No, not that. Jason knows, and Percy knows, and so does Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel-"

Mitchell cuts him off. "Okay, so that's not a problem. What is?"

"I've never really... _askedsomeoneoutbefore_."

"Oh. _Oh._ " Mitchell looks like he wants to start squealing again, but he manages to restrain himself. "So you want me to teach you?" Nico nods, and Mitchell grins. "Let's get started then."

\----

"I am _not_ wearing pink, Mitchell, no way."

Mitchell pouts. "But it's pink! The color of love!"

"If I wanted to look like Drew Tanaka on Valentine's Day, I would've started with the glittery eyeliner."

Mitchell's eyes go wide, and he's already rifling through one of the vanities littered throughout the Aphrodite cabin. "Oh, that's right! Can we-"

"No."

"But it would look-"

" _No_ , Mitchell. Don't make me regret asking you for help." And Mitchell pouts again, but he's done it so many times through out the day that Nico's become well versed in the practice of ignoring him. "Why can't I just go as myself? I mean, if he likes me, he should like me no matter what I wear, right?"

"It's a form of respect." Mitchell says. "We clean ourselves up for people we like, because they're worth it." Then he breaks the seriousness by saying matter-of-factly, "And also because we want to get laid." Nico splutters, but Mitchell waves him off. "Don't worry, though, you guys still have time for that."

"You think? He hasn't even said yes yet."

"He will." Mitchell said confidently. "By the time I'm done with you, he'll _definitely_ say yes."

There's a pause, and then Nico asks shyly, "You think?"

Mitchell pauses from where he's rifling through his wardrobe, and straightens up, coming over to Nico and clasping his shoulders. He looks him straight in the eye as if to emphasize his point and says fiercly, “ _Nico_. You are cute, you are funny, and you are a good person. Will will say yes, and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. You deserve love. There are very few people out there that don’t deserve love, and you are not one of them, okay?”

“If you say so.”

Mitchell rolls his eyes, turning back to his wardrobe. “Of course, I say so. Besides, you-Wait. Found it!”

Nico swears to the gods that if Mitchell pulls out something even vaguely pink he’s going to throw himself out the window, but when he catches sight of the shirt, he pauses. It’s actually...nice. It’s a deep red, a v-neck, and thankfully, plain. Nico blinks. “That’s actually not half bad.”

Mitchell grins. “I know! Now go put it on, and I’ll go find you some skinny jeans. Trust me, Nico, by the time I’m done with you, Will won’t know what hit him.”

\----

Nico stares at himself in the mirror. He looks...nice. He’s not exactly sure what Mitchell did to his hair, and he’s kind of glad that he got to keep his converse, but despite that, he looks really, really good. Like himself, but better.

So he’s not exactly sure why he’s still nervous. “What if he’s not even gay?”

Mitchell rolls his eyes. “I’m pretty sure he’s pan actually, and besides, I’ve caught him staring at your ass when he thinks you’re not looking just as many times as I’ve caught you staring at his arms when you think _he’s_ not looking, which, trick question, is never, because he’s always staring at you. But if you’re so worried, just pay attention to how he reacts when he sees you. If he doesn’t check out your butt in those jeans, then he’s either straight or asexual. I highly doubt the latter, though, because I caught him and Katie Gardner making out last year, and the way they were going, that was half way to sex already.”

Somehow, that’s not exactly reassuring.

Nico heads out of the Aphrodite cabin just in time to catch the Apollo cabin heading out for dinner, and he’s half way to losing his will already, if not for the fact that he’s pretty sure if he does, both Mitchell _and_ Percy would gut him like a fish. He takes a deep breath. Right. He can do this. He’s been to Tartarus and back, asking out a cute guy can’t be much worse, right?

It’s worse.

The entire Apollo table is staring at him, and half of them look bored, but the other half looks like they’d be fine with seperating his head from his body. Will looks impassive, which is not exactly the checking-you-out and falling-all-over-you kind of look that Mitchell promised, which makes Nico even more nervous.

“Um, can I talk to you?” He sounds stupid. He’s pretty sure he sounds stupid. At least that’s the what the look of the girl sitting next to Will is saying. Will quirks an eyebrow.

“Oh, so _now_ you want to talk? It didn’t seem like you wanted to talk you ran out of the infirmary.”

“Yeah, I know it didn’t, but-”

“And the weeks you’ve spent hiding out in the arena--don’t think I didn’t know about that, di Angelo-”  

“Well, yes I guess that makes sense, but-”

“And all the times you saw me at dinner and _ran away_?”

“I'm sorry about that! But if you’d just listen-”

“Fine.”

Nico pauses from where he’s willing a hole in the ground to swallow him up, and blinks. “What?”

“You said you wanted to talk, right?” Will gets out from behind the table, and, jesus christ, he’s wearing a tank top, and how is Nico supposed to be able to form coherent sentences if he’s looking like that? Wasn’t the whole point that _Nico_ would look so good that _Will_ would be too busy staring at him to notice he was voluntarily offering to spend more time with Nico? Instead of the other way around? Will looks at him like he’s sure Nico’s being stupid on purpose. “Well?” Nico shakes his head, trying to get his brain cells to function again.

“Oh, right. Right.” He leads the way out of the dining hall, flushing when he notices just how many campers stopped what they were doing to witness his embarassment and then leads Will to the edge of the forest, where they’re less likely to be disturbed. There’s a moment of silence, before Will breaks it, leaning against a tree. “You said you wanted to talk.” Nico nods. “You’re not doing much talking.”

Nico swallows nervously. “Oh. Yeah. I just...Don’t say anything until I’m done okay? You can say no or whatever, that’s fine just...wait till I’m done.”

Will looks suspicious. “Okay…”

But now that the time comes, Nico’s mind is completely blank, and he can’t even remember a word of the speech he and Mitchell practiced at all. But Will’s looking at him expectantly, so he goes with blunt honesty. “I’m pretty sure I’m an idiot, but I like you.” Will scoffs, but before he can interrupt, Nico goes on. “I mean, I’m not exactly sure whether you even like me back, so this is probably going to get really embarrassing really quick, and you’re stubborn, and you argue with me _constantly_ , and I can’t believe you still listen to Justin Bieber, I mean, come on, man-” Will looks like he’s about to start defending himself, so Nico decides to get back on topic, “but I like you. When you wear tanks I loose all capability for speech and I like watching you heal people because you’re so good with them and so caring, and when I heard how you cursed Clarrise to rhyme in couplets I couldn’t stop laughing for a solid week and I...like you.” Nico takes a deep breath. Will’s still staring at him, his eyes impossibly blue. “Okay. Say something.”

Will shrugs. “You’re right. You’re an idiot.” Nico can feel his heart sinking. He looks down at his converse, his body poised to run away, but then Will says, “I had this whole plan you know, on how to woo you. I was going to dazzle you with picnics and sing that one coldplay song you like, and kiss you underneath the stars, and you went and ruined it all by disappearing for a month and then showing up like _this_.”

Nico gapes at him. “You like me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m an idiot, but I do.” Will mocks, and Nico scowls at him.

“You knew I liked you back, didn’t you?”

Will shrugs. “Annabeth might have suggested something.”

“Oh my gods, Will Solace, you are actually the _worst_.” Nico bursts out, and Will starts cracking up. Nico doesn’t know whether he wants to kiss him or strangle him. “You let me worry, this entire time, and that spectacle at the dinner table-”

“Your face was precious, oh my gods, I didn’t know how I held out for that long-”

“You are the worst, the absolute _worst_ ,” Nico says, but he’s smiling, just a bit. “I hate you.”

Will grins at him. “No, you don’t.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Unfortunately.”

“Very, very fortunately.”

“It’s horrible.”

“No it’s not.”

“Are you just going to stand there contradicting everything I say, or are you going to come over here and kiss me?”

Will reaches out and tugs him closer. “I can do both.”

Nico raises up an eyebrow, trying to ignore how his mouth has gone suddenly dry at the lack of space between them. “I’ll believe when I see it, Music Man.”

And then he does, his mouth slotting against Nico’s, warm and soft and tasting like citrus, and Nico makes a sound that he’d be embarassed about if he wasn’t too busy pressing back against him, his mouth parting underneath his and his hands clutching onto Will’s shoulders, and then the kiss tips from gentle into heady, Nico biting Will’s lips and Will’s fingers tightening against Nico’s hips, causing them to stumble forward until Nico’s back hits a tree, but he’s too far gone to care. Will’s touch is searing through his t-shirt, and it’s even more searing when it slips underneath his shirt to press against the bare skin above the rise of his jeans. Nico gasps, arching against him, and Will presses his advantage, nipping at his lips before trailing kisses down his jaw. His mind is lost to everything but Will, so it takes them a few tries before they actually hear the whooping in the background.

“Cool it, love birds, no need to give everyone a show!” Will jerks back, face beet red as they turn around to see Leo, Calypso, and the rest of Cabin 9 and Cabin 6 giggling at them. Nico scowls, tugging his shirt back into place as Annabeth gives him a discreet thumbs up.

“That’s not what you were saying when I caught you and Calypso last night, Valdez!”

Then it’s Leo’s turn to go red, and he makes a rude gesture back at Nico that causes Will to laugh, slipping his arm around Nico as natural as breathing. Warmth flares up in Nico’s chest, and when he gets back to the pavilion, he makes sure to scrape a particularly tasty portion of the meal for Eros.

Maybe Cupid doesn’t suck after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> And its done! Don't forget to subscribe, give kudos, comment, or whatever. It doesn't matter if the comments are good or bad, I appreciate constructive criticism. I would also love some prompts, so you can prompt me at [here](http://thesenseinnonsense.tumblr.com/)! Thanks!


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